Bricklayer&#39;s apparatus



Jun 2, 196 L. R. FOSTER ERICKLAYERS APPARATUS Filed April 2, 1962 INVENTOR Lee R. Fosfer United States Patent 3,135,435 BRICKLAYERS AIPARA'IUS Lee Ii. Foster, Emory Road, Rte. '1, Powell, Tenn. Filed Apr. 2, i962, Ser. No. teases 4 Uiairns. (Q1. 22Z323) The present invention relates to a bricklayers apparatus and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Generally there is provided an apparatus consisting of a hand operated tool which may be used to extract from a supply stand an elongated portion of mortar and which tool is provided with novel manually operable means for depositing the strip of mortar upon a row of bricks in order to ready the same for the next layer of bricks. The supply stand is provided with a tool washing trough for periodically cleaning the tool. The tool itself comprises an elongated body having an open top and open front side. Within the body is slidably mounted for transverse movement a follower which is adapted to be moved outwardly toward the open front wall by the thumbs of the user. Various novel features are included in the tool.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a novel mortar collecting and depositing tool.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a tool of the character set forth, novel means for ejecting a strip of mortar therefrom.

Still another object of the invention is the provision, in a tool of the character set forth, of novel means for preventing portions of a strip of mortar being ejected therefrom from adhering to the tool itself during such operation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel manually operable follower and adjacent hand grips both forming parts of the invention.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of novel stop members for the follower forming a part of the above-mentioned tool.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the tool of the present invention, illustrating the same in operative position atop a brick wall during construction of the latter,

FIGURE 2 is a reduced plan view of'FIGURE 1 illustrating the tool prior to ejecting a strip of inortar'therefrom,

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but illus trating the same immediately after the ejection of said strip of mortar,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line -%4 of FIGURE 2, r

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a partially completed brick wall illustrating a step in the procedure of applying mortar thereto,

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 but illustrating the same when an additional layer of brick is appliedto the mortar,

FIGURE 8 is a front elevational view of a supply stand forming a non-elected part of the apparatus of the present invention, and

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 99 of FIGURE 8.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown therein an elongated supply stand generally indicated at 10 and having a bottom wall 11, an integrally formed rear wall 12 and a pair of side walls 13 interconnecting the bottom wall 11 and vertical rear wall 12.

A socket 14 is centrally aflixed to the underside of the 3,135,435 Patented lune 2, I964 ice bottom wall 11 adjacent the rearward end thereof and has threadably mounted therein a downwardly and rearwardly extending leg 15. Sockets 16 are affixed to the forward portion of the underside of the wall 11 adjacent each end portion thereof and each has threadably mounted therein a preferably outwardly curved support leg 17*.

The tool which comprises an important part of the present apparatus consists of an elongated body having a bottom Wall 18, a vertically extending rear wall 19 and a pair of side walls Zll interconnecting the walls 18 and I9. An inwardly directed stop member 21 is integrally formed with the upper forward edge portion of each of slidably mounted for reciprocable movement in each case p a horizontal shaft 25, the shafts being connected at their forward ends to cars 26 or the like attached to the rear face of the follower 22;. The free end portions of the shafts 25 are provided with knobs or buttons 27.

To complete the apparatus, there is provided an elongated water trough 28 which is removably attached to the rear wall 12 of the supply member It) by means of hooks 29 or the like.

In use, it will be apparent that during the construction of a brick wall, generally indicated at 3th, when it is desired to apply mortar to the uppermost layer of bricks, generally indicated at 31, the tool is grasped by means of the hand grips 23 by the user thereof who at that time will release any pressure against the knobs 27. A slight rearward tilt of the tool will allow the follower 22 to move rearwardly against the rear wall 19 thereof, as illustrated in FIGURE 4. The tool may then be moved into the supply trough 10 to extract therefrom what may be termed a strip of mortar, as indicated at 3:2 in FIG- URE 1, it being understood that the tool is used in the manner of a shovel in this instance. The tool may now be tilted rearwardly so that the strip 32 of mortar will come to rest against the follower 22 as indicated in FIG- URE 4. Again, it will be understood that the main portion of mortar will lie in the supply trough 18, as indicated at 33, the supply 33 of mortar being replenished from time to time.

The tool is then positioned upon the uppermost layer 31 of bricks with the forward edge portion of its wall 18 lying thereon, as well illustrated in FIGURE 4. The operator will then place his thumbs upon the buttons 27 while still grasping the hand grips 23, as illustrated in FIGURE 2, and thus force the follower 22 forwardly to eject the strip 32 upon the uppermost layer of bricks 31, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. During such forward movement of the follower 22, the movement is limited by the stop members 21 and it will be noted that when the follower 22 comes to rest against the stop members 21 a space indicated at 34 in FIGURE 5 is left between the lower edge of the follower 22 and the forward edge of the wall 18. This permits the complete deposit of the strip of mortar 32 in its intended position and prevents any clogging or sticking ofpieces of such mortar upon the tool itself upon the completion of such operation thus permitting an entirely clean operation and one which will not vdeface the exposed wall of brick 36. A hand trowel (not shown) may then be moved through the strip of mortar 32 in a longitudinal direction to partially spread the same,

as indicated at 35 in FIGURE 6 after which the next row of brick may be placed upon the strip of mortar 32, as indicated at 36 in FIGURE 7.

After a certain number of such operations have been performed with the tool, in order to clean the same for further operations, it is only necessary to dip the tool into the water indicated at 37 in FIGURE 9 to thus cleanse the same.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minor modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool of the character described comprising an elongated body having a bottom wall with a free front edge, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls interconnecting said rear and bottom walls, a follower slidably mounted on said bottom wall and extending longitudinally in said body, and manual means for moving said follower from said rear wall in the direction of the free front edge of said bottom wall, said manual means comprising a handle affixed adjacent each end of the outer face of said rear wall, a pair of horizontal shafts each slidably mounted in said rear wall immediately inwardly of each of said handles, and a knob afiixed to the outer end of each shaft, the forward ends of said shafts being attached to said follower.

2. A tool of the character described comprising an elongated body having a bottom wall with a free front edge, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls interconnecting said rear and bottom walls, a follower slidably mounted on said bottom wall and extending longitudinally in said body, manual means for moving said follower from said rear wall in the direction of the free front edge of said bottom wall, and a pair of stop members extending inwardly from said side walls adjacent the upper front edges (1 thereof for limiting the outward movement of said follower, said manual means comprising a handle affixed adjacent each end of the outer face of said rear Wall, a pair of horizontal shafts each slidably mounted in said rear wall immediately inwardly of each of said handles, and a knob afiixed to the outer end of each shaft, the forward ends of said shafts being attached to said follower.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said follower lies generally in an upwardly and rearwardly extending plane, and wherein said device additionally comprises stop members extending inwardly from the upper front portions of said side walls for limiting forward movement of said follower, whereby a space is provided between the lower edge of said follower and the free edge of said bottom wall when said follower is moved to abutting relation with said stop members.

4. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein said follower lies generally in an upwardly and rearwardly extending plane, and wherein said stop members extend from the upper portions of said side walls, whereby a space is provided between the lower edge of said follower and the free edge of said bottom wall when said follower is moved to abutting relation with said stop members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 335,390 Silbermann et a1. Feb. 2, 1886 1,643,163 Lalli Sept. 20, 1927 2,446,143 Smith July 27, 1948 2,452,684 Robinson Nov. 2, 1948 2,625,816 Spallone Jan. 20, 1953 2,664,753 Hein Jan. 5, 1954 2,704,379 Bunker Mar. 22, 1955 2,798,239 Freund July 9, 1957 2,856,768 Schweitzer Oct. 21, 1958 2,988,260 Locke et a1 June 13, 1961 

1. A TOOL OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY HAVING A BOTTOM WALL WITH A FREE FRONT EDGE, A REAR WALL, AND A PAIR OF SIDE WALLS INTERCONNECTING SAID REAR AND BOTTOM WALLS, A FOLLOWER SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BOTTOM WALL AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID BODY, AND MANUAL MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FOLLOWER FROM SAID REAR WALL IN THE DIRECTION OF THE FREE FRONT EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, SAID MANUAL MEANS COMPRISING A HANDLE AFFIXED ADJACENT EACH END OF THE OUTER FACE OF SAID REAR WALL, A PAIR OF HORIZONTAL SHAFTS EACH SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID REAR WALL IMMEDIATELY INWARDLY OF EACH OF SAID HANDLES, AND A KNOB AFFIXED TO THE OUTER END OF EACH SHAFT, THE FORWARD ENDS OF SAID SHAFTS BEING ATTACHED TO SAID FOLLOWER. 